As I grow older, there are fewer and fewer of my favorite bands that I haven't seen play live. It's been since 2016 since Blind Pilot released any music, so there were times I doubted it would ever happen. Not too long ago, Pitchfork referred to them as “one of the crown jewels of Oregon’s indie-folk scene”—a sentiment I've always shared. Sufjan Stevens, Bon Iver, The Decemberists, José González, Fleet Foxes, Iron & Wine, and Blind Pilot: all titans of indie folk, with Blind Pilot perhaps lesser-known but no less significant.

I have my ticket for their summer tour in hand. The trip is planned, and the road to a new city, where I'll finally experience Blind Pilot live—not just as echoes in my headphones, but as vibrant notes floating through the air—is now before me.